San Diego’s Grand Del Mar has amassed an impressive collection of accolades since opening in 2007, but this year marks the first that it has earned the distinction of top hotel in the nation, a ranking based entirely on guest reviews.

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest online travel site, on Wednesday released its annual Travelers' Choice Awards, which besides rating the Grand Del Mar the No. 1 U.S. hotel, also ranked it 14th in the world and top luxury hotel in the country. Only one other California property was voted into the top 10 U.S. hotels — the 62-room Bardessono in Napa Valley.

San Diego County’s top-ranked hotels in U.S. by TripAdvisor

Grand Del Mar, No 1, U.S. hotels; No. 1, luxury hotels

West Inn & Suites Carlsbad, Carlsbad, No. 8, family hotels

Lakehouse Hotel & Resort, San Marcos, No. 24, U.S. hotels

Owner Papa Doug Manchester credited the hotel’s emphasis on grooming and nurturing a staff of top-notch employees for its consistently high rankings. His daily presence — he owns a home on the Carmel Valley property — also likely contributes to the staff’s desire to excel, he said.

“You can have the best carpet, the best Venetian marble, the best draperies, wonderful rooms, which we do, and we spent an enormous amount of money providing that, but you have nothing if you do not have the right personnel and the management to look out for the little things,” said Manchester, who is also publisher of U-T San Diego. “Whether it’s the person who greets you at the door, the concierge or housekeeping, they all have a vested interest in making you feel good because they feel good working there.”

Unlike the annual rankings assembled by the Auto Club and the Forbes Travel Guide, which make visits to the properties they evaluate, TripAdvisor relies on millions of online guest reviews of more than 700,000 hotels for compiling its awards. That explains why its annual top 10 list tends to vary quite a bit from year to year.

The Grand Del Mar, the only hotel on this year’s list to make an appearance in the top 10 three years in a row, was No. 10 last year, while the No. 1 hotel in 2012, the Elysian Hotel Chicago, didn’t even crack the top 10 this year.

“Winners do change from year to year, based on what the reviews are saying,” said TripAdvisor spokeswoman Julie Cassetina, noting that the hotels must have 30 rooms or more and a traveler rating of at least 3.5 stars. “We also use algorithms that are proprietary to TripAdvisor for making the selection.”

Not only is the ranking a significant bragging point for the Grand Del Mar, but it’s also helpful in marketing San Diego to tourists, observed Carl Winston, dean of the San Diego State school of hospitality.

“A high rating helps all the hotels,” he said. “It gives additional impetus for people to look at San Diego when they make their travel plans.”

With an employee-to-guest ratio of close to 2 to 1 and a rigorous orientation and training program, the Grand Del Mar is better prepared to cater to the needs, no matter how small, of those staying there, says Grand Del Mar president Thomas Voss.

An impressive resume with years of experience does not necessarily trump the human qualities job applicants display, he added. The pay, he noted, is fairly comparable to what is offered at other luxury properties. The employees’ work ethic is driven mostly by a sense of pride, Voss said.

“When the person shows up for an interview, we can see how they speak, how they behave,” said Voss. “We want people who are genuine and gracious, who want to work at a five-star hotel.”

He said he tries to instill a close, collegial atmosphere so that the employees feel as though they’re part of one big family. Voss knows every one of the more than 500 employees by name and makes a habit of lunching with them in the cafeteria.

“For me, the employees come first, they dictate what we serve in the cafeteria, and we don’t micromanage.”

Manchester, former owner of the 1,362-room Manchester Grand Hyatt, which he sold for $570 million in 2011, acknowledged that to sustain a high-end, highly rated resort can be a costly venture that doesn’t necessarily yield the higher profits of a busy convention hotel.

“In most luxury hotels throughout the world, probably the majority are not making as much money as they could if they did not provide some of the services they’re providing,” he said. “But we’re happy with providing the very best, and this award is a great tribute to San Diego.”